With the latest release of the K1000, Dell KACE has become the first systems management
solution in the market to support Chromebooks. KACE offers asset and inventory management, service desk and reporting functionality for Chromebooks along with the rest of the IT environment, including Windows, Linux and UNIX servers, Windows PCs, Mac computers, Windows tablets, and connected non-computer devices such as printers, projectors, routers, etc.

Features include:

Device discovery and inventory of all network-wide hardware and software, including computers, servers, Chromebooks, as well as connected non-computer devices, such as printers, projectors, IT telephony, etc.

IT environments are becoming increasingly more diverse and complex, and consequently harder to manage. Mobility, along with more and more “smart” devices (i.e. the Internet of Things) has led to a significant increase in the number and types of devices that are connected to corporate networks, devices that you must now track,manage and secure.

Proliferation of New Devices in IT Environments

Dimensional Research, December 2014, Sponsored by Dell

The scope of the problem becomes even larger when you also consider the number of different platforms that need to be managed – these include Windows, Windows Server, Mac OS X, Linux, UNIX, Chromebook, iOS and Android. Issues and concerns may include:

Lack of visibility over all of the devices accessing the corporate network, which results in security and compliance concerns, and can lead to increased downtime for key systems, devices and applications. This can reduce productivity and result in frustrated end users.

Having to use multiple tools to manage a heterogeneous environment consumes budget and human resources, introduces complexity in managing the business, and can lead to console fatigue.

Adoption of non-Windows-systems – such as Chromebooks or Linux devices – becomes an entirely new challenge, especially due to the lack of integration of these platforms with a primary systems management solution for such key functions as asset lifecycle management and service desk.

All of these factors are driving the imperative for you to make anypoint systems management a higher priority. If your organization previously felt that it could ‘get along’ without a comprehensive systems management strategy, you are likely now feeling the pressure to find a comprehensive “anypoint” systems management solution, one that is both easy to use and addresses all of your concerns.

The Dell KACE K1000 Systems Management Appliance (K1000) provides you with that solution. The K1000 provides comprehensive systems management for computers and servers, including discovery, inventory and asset management, software distribution, patch management, policy enforcement and service desk. And the latest release of the K1000 (available in March 2015) strengthens the focus on anypoint systems management and delivers greater visibility across your entire IT environment. New and enhanced functionality expands the types of devices managed by the K1000 to Chromebooks, Windows servers and network connected non-computer devices. We have also made improvements to the usability of a number of K1000 components. With this release, the K1000:

Becomes the first systems management solution to inventory Chromebooks – the information is integrated into K1000’s asset management, reporting, alerting and service desk workflows to provide comprehensive asset lifecycle management for Chromebooks

We want you to learn all the latest tricks and tips for using your Dell KACE Appliance. That’s why we’re bringing our popular training directly to you. Register today for multiple days of instructor-led training that will refresh or enhance your skill set and empower you to save even more time and money with your Dell KACE Appliances.

Don’t miss the fun and educational event that will enable you to not only extract maximum benefit from your Dell KACE Appliance, but also gain advice for using Dell KACE in your environment — directly from the experts. You’ll also get to know your fellow users in the local Dell KACE community, and in many cases- attendees benefit from minimal travel expenses and time away from the office.

Each classroom is limited to 15 attendees per instructor, so you’ll have plenty of opportunity to interact, ask questions, discuss ideas, and more. Each instructor is a Dell KACE expert and they have more experience than you can imagine. Your classroom equipment will have virtual appliances just for you to explore and learn with- no shared equipment.

Each day begins at 9:00 am (earlier if all attendees are present), and we conclude around 4:00 pm. This might seem like a short day, but we pack a lot into the day! This also minimizes impact with attendees who commute.

Registration includes classroom and materials only. No meals will be provided. Drinks and light snacks will be available during the day. Meal times are scheduled longer than 1 hour to accommodate off-campus meals, however many locations offer on-site cafes. Travel and accommodations are not provided by, or arranged by Dell.

Should I attend?We think so, but here’s some information that might help you decide. Boot Kamps are designed specifically for new users, or those desiring a skills refresh. They are not intended for advanced KACE users, nor should they be considered a replacement for JumpStart training that was purchased with your appliance. Boot Kamps are usually best attended by:

New team members that may not have attended JumpStart

Team members seeking overall product knowledge

Team members who haven’t used the appliance in some time

Team members that prefer to practice and learn in a non-production environment

Those preparing to implement new features of the appliances that were previously not in use.

Anyone seeking to gain new knowledge and experience with the K1000 and K2000 appliances.

The newest release of the Dell KACE K2000 Deployment Appliance makes multi-platform deployment dramatically easier with multicasting for Apple Mac computers and a brand new user interface allowing organizations to quickly roll out large numbers of Macs along with Windows PCs. Customers also have the ability to remotely deploy Windows tablets over the network, in conjunction with the Dell KACE K1000 Management Appliance. With its expanded deployment capabilities and new easy-to-use interface, release 3.7 of Dell KACE 2000 increases performance and reliability for multi-platform OS deployment and makes it available to organizations of all sizes.

Organizations can save a significant amount of time by leveraging the new features of the K2000:

Multicast imaging for MAC OS X with simultaneous deployment to large numbers of Macs

Automated deployment of images to Windows tablets over the network, in conjunction with the Dell KACE K1000

An intuitive new user interface that improves user experience and productivity and includes a customizable dashboard, new contextual help and user defined persistence

It’s nice to reminisce. I was reading an article about why monitors aren’t black with green dots any longer; Spoiler- they say it’s because of eyes with astigmatism. Not sure I agree with that, since I have astigmatism in both eyes and actually prefer the dark background and light text. Regardless, the article got me thinking back to my first computer. An Apple IIGS “Woz Edition” came into our home somewhere around 1987, it was glorious. It had a mouse, TWO floppy drives, an RGB color monitor, and a color dot matrix printer. Yes- dot matrix dabbled in color too, folks! It had something called Apple Desktop Bus (ADB). It had no hard drive, but we didn’t need it- everything ran just fine in RAM loaded off of those handy floppies. Networks hadn’t really become a reality yet (AppleTalk doesn’t count in my opinion), but I installed a 2400 baud modem and got some BBS activities going, that is, until we got a rather hefty phone bill… It was a powerhouse and I was hooked.

Fast forward to 2014, and my home thermostat is more powerful than the entirety of that computer, but it laid the groundwork for so much. I look back and see ADB as the building block for USB- one of the most successful and ubiquitous standards ever. That RAM/disk idea? Yep- that’s in play today on every computer you use. Who even uses floppy disks anymore? You do! That USB stick that you keep in the drawer to quickly transfer files, print something, take something home, etc.- it’s a glorified floppy disk. Sure- it holds more than every Apple IIGS ever sold, combined, could have, but it’s portable storage. That color dot-matrix printer? Okay, that never really panned out- but think of the concept of dot matrix: a tightly grouped pattern of pins that fire at a certain color to produce an image. How do TV’s, Monitors, Phones, and nearly every other type of display work? Oh- the same way. The dial-up bulletin boards of the 70’s and 80’s set the tone for information sharing, collaboration, and the free exchange of tools. That’s the origin of the massively-game-changing-planetary-system that connects us, a.k.a. The Internet. The mouse remains largely unchanged, but the point and click concept was new in the 80′s- we’ve adapted it to work with touch, eye-tracking, gestures, and more.

I guess I was pretty cutting edge in 1987- being so far into the future that Emmett Brown couldn’t have predicted where we would be. I’m still waiting for my hover car. I think Maglev can still work out. Here’s to the future!